Park Won-soon's Son Absent as Witness in 'Military Service Corruption Allegation' Trial... "Father's 49th Day Memorial"

The late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's son, Park Ju-shin [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Park Ju-shin, the son of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was accused of military service corruption, did not attend the related trial where he was summoned as a witness. The reason given was that he needed to hold the 49th-day memorial service for his late father, Mayor Park.

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Oh Seok-jun) scheduled Park as a witness on the 26th for the appeal trial of Dr. Yang Seung-oh, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act after raising allegations of military service corruption against Park. However, Park did not appear. The court stated, "Park submitted a notice saying it was difficult to attend today due to his father's 49th-day memorial service," and added, "The notice also included a statement that he would later organize and send his position, including the necessity of witness examination."

In response, Dr. Yang's legal representatives argued, "Park is refusing to testify without a valid reason," and insisted, "A fine should be imposed, and a warrant for compulsory attendance should be issued for the next hearing." However, the court rejected the request, stating, "It is difficult to infer the witness's thoughts and decide on compulsory measures." The court then decided to summon Park again as a witness on October 14.

Dr. Yang and others were indicted in 2014 on charges of attempting to defeat Mayor Park in the local elections by claiming that Park Ju-shin, who was suspected of military service corruption, had someone else take his physical examination publicly. The first trial court recognized the charges against Dr. Yang and others as valid and sentenced them to fines.

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